Kol HaOt -- a Jerusalem-based organization that combines the arts with Jewish themes, history and ideas -- welcomes visual artists who are fascinated with Judaism’s rich sources, to apply to our Artist in Residence program. The artist will be given a spacious working space at our Jerusalem Center, at no cost, to work on creative artwork(s) that explore the intersection of the arts, Judaism and Jewish sources.

The Kol HaOt Center is located in the inspiring `Hutzot HaYotzer Artists' Colony’, just outside Jerusalem’s Old City walls, in a quiet, yet urban atmosphere. Kol HaOt staff will provide logistic and administrative assistance and familiarity with the local artistic cultural and religious scenes.The artist will work daily in an artistically, culturally and historically rich environment, and will interact with gallery visitors and the Kol HaOt team.

- No deadline: applications accepted on an ongoing basis.- Short-term residency, from 1 to 4* months. (*Up to 3-month-stay for overseas residents, due to visa restrictions.)

REQUIREMENTS

Authentic interest to research Judaism and Jewish sources as a basis for their artistic work and inspiration.

Creation during the residency of a specific, pre-planned project in visual arts, drawing on Judaism's rich, wide-ranging sources.

Presence at the gallery on a daily basis during working hours.

Share with the public the vision behind the artist’s outcomes of the creative process, at the Kol HaOt Center. This includes daily interaction with visitors; occasional participation in Kol HaOt activities at the Center; and a exhibition/lecture at the conclusion of the residency.

Costs of travel, accommodation, production and artistic work are the responsibility of the artist. Prior to participating in the residency, the artist will be required to affirm their ability to financially cover costs of participating in the residency, as well as their ability to technically carry out their project proposal while in residence.

Eligibility: Both Israeli and international artists, as well as experienced artists, and artists starting out their career, are invited to apply.

NOTE: Technical equipment is not supplied during the residency. The proposed art project should be in a medium that takes into consideration the technical restrictions of the residency.

SELECTIONThe artists will be selected by Kol HaOt’s executive team. Considerations in the selection of artists include:

High level of craft and professional abilities.

A clear conceptual vision of their project.

Willingness to engage with the public, and good communication skills.

Preferable dates of the artist and gallery availability. Availability for relatively longer periods will be an advantage.

APPLICATION PROCESS1) Complete our Application Formhere. You will be required to provide information about your professional artistic experience, as well as describe your interest in the program, and the specific themes and artistic process you plan to undertake during the residency.

2) Send an email with your CV and 5 select pieces from your portfolio to: office@kolhaot.com. Your portfolio pieces should ideally demonstrate how you have integrated Jewish themes into your artwork. NOTE: Your APPLICATION FORM, CV, AND SELECTIONS FROM YOUR PORTFOLIO are required in order to apply.

3) Qualified applicants will be invited for a Skype or personal meeting, in order to proceed with the selection process.

Kol HaOt is delighted to open its new center at Jerusalem’s Chutzot HaYotzer Artists’ Colony! At this historic setting, we will enhance our mission creating magical connections, through the arts, to Judaism and Jewish sources. Partner with us this #GivingTuesday, to expand our mission in this new venue, just steps away from the inspiring Old City! Click here to donate online!

SUPPORT our center, which will be a hub of activity with our diverse interactive, creative programs, including:- Workshops for tourists that employ the visual arts, transforming a trip to Israel into a creative pilgrimage- Moving concerts that raise spirits - Engaging theater productions & programs that probe Jewish themes- Rotating exhibits, focusing on Jewish themes- Film+Plus series featuring stirring movies & discussions - An Artists' Beit Midrash, where Jewish sources inspire creative minds- Challenging courses in ‘The Art of Judaism’- Stimulating ‘Meet the Artist’ series that brings leading artists & the public together- Teacher training to integrate the arts into Jewish studies- Holiday events that enrich & excite the public- Exploration of the culinary arts that conjure the significance of Jewish culture- An artist-in-residence to enrich & share Jewish art Now, more than ever, we need your help to accomplish our goals! Sponsor an event. Donate funds for supplies and furniture. Help us upgrade our infrastructure in this historic building, where we inspire deep connections to Judaism and Jewish sources.

Support us as we bring our innovative, creative programs to the wider general public, in this unique venue!Receive a U.S. tax deduction! Kol HaOt is under the fiscal sponsorship of the Center for Jewish Culture and Creativity, a US-based 501(c)(3) non-profit, which provides receipts for donors who wish to receive tax deductions for their US-dollar donations.Visit our website: www.kolhaot.com, or contact us at info@kolhaot.com

Have you experienced the magic that artists can bring to the Seder through their illuminated Haggadot?

Did you ever learn something new about Passover through an artistic Haggadah?

Have you participated in a previous Kol HaOt Haggadah Fair? Would you like to be a part of this year's Fair?

The annual Kol HaOt Illuminated Haggadah Fair at Jerusalem's Inbal Hotel has become a must-do Passover event, with many visitors commenting that it is a highlight of their holiday. To continue this tradition, we need your help on #GivingTuesday! Click here to donate!

The considerable expenses of this annual event, now in its 6th year, has been completely sponsored in the past, enabling visitors to come free-of-charge. This year we need your help! Partner with us this GivingTuesday, Dec. 1, to help us make this year's Illuminated Haggadah Fair unforgettable! Our goal is to raise $7,500 to defray expenses, and you can help make that happen! Every donation counts. We already have in-kind donations for the venue and refreshments; now we need your help to do the rest! Click here to donate!

Your support will ensure that this year's Fair is once again a breathtaking, magnetic educational event for the public during Passover!

Kol HaOt is under the fiscal sponsorship of the Center for Jewish Culture and Creativity, a US-based 501(c)(3) non-profit, which provides receipts for donors wishing to receive tax deductions for their US-dollar donations.

Want to see what we're talking about?Click on the video below, and get a taste of our previous Illuminated Haggadah fairs!

So much transpired this week and we're thankful for this opportunity to now pause - and reflect. It has been an amazing journey during which connections boomed and creativity blossomed.

Let's take a look back, starting from Tuesday morning when we toured along Shvil HaSalat (the Salad Trail): We visited greenhouses in the Northern Negev where we learned about agriculture and tasted the fruits and vegetables - the tomatoes were delicious, as were the lemons, kumquats and oranges! Next, Kol HaOt gave a workshop called "Mapping the Journey" where we depicted our personal journeys this past week in collage art. This was an important reflective time where we were able to share our unique experience of our trip. We then headed back to our Kibbutzim to prepare ourselves for Daroma, the big festival in Sderot!!!!!

The festival was even better than we had hoped; it was a highlight for us all. There were many white tents set up for the various different workshops we had been preparing throughout this unbelievable week. There was a rhythm therapy tent where the participants and festival attendees came together in a drum-and-dance circle; an imagination tent full of colorful puppets and set designs for the kids to play with; a street theater tent where children could build their confidence while learning how to walk on stilts; and, our carnival artists roamed the large grounds with their huge puppets, engaging with festival-comers throughout the night. Out in the open, attendees participated in beautifying a graffiti wall, creating tie dye t-shirts, eating flavorsome dishes from the various food stands and more.

By about 8pm, the music had begun! We were privileged to hear many famous Israeli artists play live, including Sarit Hadad, Hadag Nachash and Barry Sacharoff. But perhaps most exciting for us, was when our very own Start South band took the stage and when the documentary films created by our film team were screened for everyone to enjoy. It was truly a magical night!

At about 11:30pm the music ended and we gathered onto the buses, heading back to our lodging for a good sleep. The festival showed the power of art; how it brings people together and truly proves to be a universal language. Not only does art build community but it also blurs the boundaries that otherwise separate people.

Gal Fridman, one of the band members, when asked how he felt during the festival, said, “Can I just use one word? Unreal. It was unreal.”

Unfortunately, we had to say goodbye to our Israeli participants at that point (but we would see many of them again at the New Year celebrations Wednesday night).

We kicked off a little later than usual on Wednesday, checked out of the Kibbutz Guesthouses and drove to Jerusalem for a tour with Idan Pink and David Kay. Our discussions on security and various social issues gave us all a deeper understanding of the complexities in Jerusalem and Israel in general.

Following lunch in the Old City, we enjoyed a scavenger hunt in the Jewish Quarter. The tour uncovered the layers of Jewish history from the time of the First Temple until present day. We discovered some of the stories, traditions and legends the stones of this ancient city behold.

The day was topped off with an extraordinary dinner at Eucalyptus Restaurant and we then drove to Tel Aviv, freshened up at our hotel and headed out for the New Year celebrations. We spent the night with WUJS students and some of our Israeli participants who regrouped with us at Valium, a club in the city.

Today began with a wholesome breakfast and our morning ritual in which individuals took the opportunity to express their gratitude and appreciation for one another. It was a beautiful sunny day and we drove into the city to explore Tel Aviv through food and art! The Tasters Tour of Shuk Levinsky gave us an opportunity to both meet local shop keepers and taste some interesting foods. The Central Bus Station tour was a little more surprising. We started off walking through the main areas, and then we were taken into the abandoned areas of this gigantic building, learning about its history and complex situation as well as discovering some interesting art that attempts at bringing new life to this area.

Following free time for lunch and for exploring Tel Aviv a bit more, we gathered back together to share our thoughts and parting words at our final dinner together. It is hard to say goodbye. Participant Yana Brook wrote to all the other participants before her flight back to Russia, “I want to tell you that you are more then new friends to me. This is more like a family. What an amazing community of creative, openhearted and sweet people you are! I hope to see you all again… Much love & thank you.”

It’s hard to believe the program has come to a close and it's difficult to say goodbye after such an amazing experience together so, as they say in Israel, we're just wishing each other Lihetraot ("see you soon")!

Shabbat Shalom and happy 2015, Elyssa on behalf of the Start South staff

Only a few days left to view the moving Kol HaOt exhibit 'A Prayer for Peace' at the Ahim Hasid Complex, 45 Emek Refaim St., Jerusalem. Below is an overview of the artwork. Till Oct. 27

﻿A Prayer for PeaceThe media’s ongoing references to “Peace” simplifies and even distorts the actual meaning of the concept. This exhibit, “A Prayer for Peace”, seeks to bring more depth and breadth to the various attitudes toward this lofty goal and ideal, which we are not only commanded to pray for, but must also actively seek and pursue. The exhibit incorporates a plethora of expressions which hint at the various characteristics of this desired state, through prayer. What, exactly, is the peace that we seek?

Mordechai Beck’s works in English and Hebrew quote the “Prayer for Peace” written by Rabbi Natan, the disciple of Rav Nachman of Breslov. This same prayer, which describes peace as the bringing together of opposing elements, receives interesting artistic treatment in David Moss’ three dimensional work. Izzy Pludwinski exhibits “Love” and “Brotherhood”, which serve as precursors to peace in the seventh marriage blessing. Sharon Binder quotes additional Jewish sources, and broadens the circle of context to the personal and national, the near and the far. The Priestly Blessing in Moss’ work expresses the rising levels of blessing: to be blessed and protected, to receive the light of God’s grace, culminating with the blessing of peace. In the works of Andi Arnovitz and Ken Goldman, we see a more concrete, worried, prayer for peace, which takes the format of a prayer for a soldier who sets out to war – straying from the territory of peace. An additional work of Pludwinski’s quotes the words of Rav Kook, who explains the sources of conflict, which must be understood to take the first step in the pursuit of peace. The works of Chana Cromer and Yoram Raanan reflect the dreamlike, hopeful vision of a time when peace prevails. And as a canopy over them all hovers Ruth Schreiber’s flower chuppah, embodying a truthful, deep connection and relationship to the peaceful Sukkah of God.﻿

Elyssa Moss Rabinowitz, executive director of Kol HaOt, discusses her personal connection to Rosh HaShanah, and how that helped her create a new and innovative formula for the Schusterman Foundation, to teach young Jews about the lesser-known holiday tradition of the Rosh HaShanah Seder. Read her reflections hereon ejewishphilanthropy.com.

Discover the fascinating history of the Rosh Hashanah Seder, the special blessings and delicious foods of the Jewish New Year feast.

The free kit includes everything you need: a host guide, Haggadot for your guests, an easy-to-print and assemble centerpiece for your table, and even an origami pomegranate! Download the free Rosh HaShanah Seder kit and follow the easy print instructions.

The Summer 2014 tourist season is one that will not be easily forgotten. Intrepid tourists who were in Israel during Operation Protective Edge witnessed the country's security concerns first-hand, while also imbibing Israel’s rich history, spiritual dimensions, and modern attractions.Kol HaOt's “Mapping the Journey” workshop was particularly meaningful, with participants expressing themselves creatively (and colorfully!) as they distilled their varied experiences into a personal perspective.The Kol HaOt Team was ready to meet any challenge this summer, often traveling to quieter areas of the country to conduct our visual arts programs for teen tours, as well as family and camp groups.

Jewish educators and Birthright groups found that our secure center at the Martef Theater in Jerusalem provided them with “peace of mind” as they explored the nexus between Jewish texts and personal creative expression.

Check out our Facebook page, to view their evocative works – and LIKE us while you’re there!

In preparation for Holocaust Memorial Day, Kol HaOt is featuring the film, "The Strength To Tell,” a moving documentary that tracks at-risk Jerusalem teens in the Martef Theater school, whose lives are changed when they develop a play based on testimonies of witnesses at the Eichmann trial.

The film, in Hebrew with English subtitles,... is part of Kol HaOt's Film+ Plus series. It will be followed by a discussion in English with Kol HaOt partner Chagai Aharoni, director of the play and the Martef Theater.